T-Mobile USA to Carry iPhone Beginning April 12th, Using New 'Uncarrier' Payment Plan

TmobileT-Mobile, the only major U.S. cellular carrier to not sell the iPhone, will begin carrying the device on April 12th. The carrier will sell the phone under its new 'Uncarrier' policies as T-Mobile attempts to differentiate itself from other cellular networks with new 'customer-friendly' rate plans.

New iPhone customers will be able to purchase the 16GB iPhone 5 for $100 down, plus 24 monthly payments of $20. After the payments are finished, customers will see their monthly bills drop. On traditional subsidized plans from AT&T or Verizon, users pay $199 up front, and then see a subsidy payment invisibly built into their monthly plans. However, if the customer goes longer than two years without purchasing a new phone, the carrier continues to collect subsidy repayments as pure profit.

"This is an important day for people who love their iPhone but can’t stand the pain other carriers put them through to own one," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA. "We feel their pain. I’ve felt the pain. So we’re rewriting the rules of wireless to provide a radically simple, affordable iPhone 5 experience — on an extremely powerful network."

Notably, T-Mobile says it will be the only U.S. carrier to support the 'Wideband Audio' feature of the iPhone 5, calling it 'HD Voice'.

T-Mobile is also offering the iPhone 4S for $70 down and $20 per month for 24 months, and the iPhone 4 for $15 down and $15 per month for 24 months.

The carrier will charge a base rate of $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and 3G data, plus 500MB of 4G data. Customers can add 2GB of 4G data for $10/month per line, or $20/month for unlimited 4G. Additional lines have a base rate of $30/month for the first, and $10/month for each additional. The company officially rolled out 4G LTE service today in Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.

Customers can pre-order the iPhone 5 beginning April 5.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
Magic Keyboard Touch ID Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...

Top Rated Comments

mbh Avatar
165 months ago
This question has been lingering for a while.

Sign up with the payment plan, cancel 1 month later. obviously T-Mobile would expect you to either return the phone, or pay the full unsubsidized value (reduced by the amount already paid) of the device.

Isn't that a "contract" ?

It is, but it is separate from the service. Once the phone is paid for, you don't have that part of the payment anymore. With other companies your bill doesn't go down once the phone subsidy is paid off.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DipDog3 Avatar
165 months ago
Let's see... $20/month (iPhone) + $50/month (base rate) + $20/month (unlimited data) = $90/month for one line.

I pay $100 for Verizon and 2GB of Data. I would rather pay $10 more a month for a far more grown out LTE network that Verizon offers.

You are comparing cost of Unlimited Data to Limited Data on Verizon at a higher cost and you still want Verizon... :confused::confused::confused::confused:
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
165 months ago
Tmobile CEO says to "stop the bull #%*#"

Awesome
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jman240 Avatar
165 months ago
Let's see... $20/month (iPhone) + $50/month (base rate) + $20/month (unlimited data) = $90/month for one line.

I pay $100 for Verizon and 2GB of Data. I would rather pay $10 more a month for a far more grown out LTE network that Verizon offers.
Except you don't have to pay the extra "$20/month (unlimited data)" because the base plan includes unlimited 3G data and 500mb of 4G (Im guessing LTE) data, that "$20/month (unlimited data)" is for 4G data, sure, it may be a must have for you but if you don't need it or want parents to have smart phones and know they'll never use it then it would just be the $70, until you've paid off the phone or if you bring your own phone then its $50.

Family plan with 5 phones, just using the base 3G data is $110/mo as long as you already own the phones.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheRealTVGuy Avatar
165 months ago
$70.00 a month sounds a lot better than $120!

Does this include tethering?

I LOVE the fact that after you've paid the subsidy, YOU JUST PAY FOR SERVICE! I told the AT&T guy that I've been a customer 2 years, my subsidy was paid and that I wanted to see my rate drop. He just laughed.

Here in Central Florida T-Mobile is great. Will visual voicemail and all the other features work now?

And How much for a 32GB iPhone 5?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Illuminated Avatar
165 months ago
Yes but you need to pay $20/month for the iPhone as well so it costs $90/month until your iPhone is payed off, then it's $70/month.

You're missing a key point. So it's $100 down, then you pay $50 a month for unlimited text, talk, and 3G data, plus 500mb of 4G data. Plus you have to pay $20 a month for the phone itself. So it is only $70 a month. Where are you getting $90 a month?:confused:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)